Broken Pieces Fit Better
by trasigtnintendo
Summary: It has been three years since Piper got out from prison and five years since she last saw Alex. A visit to Litchfield comes with a big surprise.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters in this story.

**AN:** Hey everybody, this is my first attempt on a fanfic. I've been working on it for a while and I wanted to have the whole story finished before I even considered publishing it. I'm not a native speaker(English is my second language) so... I've really tried my best and had two of my friends (who are really good at writing) beta this story. Hope you like it. reviews are always welcome. Enjoy. Love always.

_**Time to be an adult**_

The waves crashed onto the beach repeatedly and created a relaxing rhythm. A mild wind swept through her hair as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful scene, and it made her smile even though today was really a day of sorrow and at the same time it was a day of joy.

This day, three years ago, there had been a lot of goodbyes and sad smiles as she had walked out of prison as a free woman leaving good friends behind. But this day also made her think about something else. It was about five years since she last saw her. She, who was always on her mind. Piper sighed.

This day would soon come to an end, and it felt fine. Well, almost. She missed someone, someone she thought she wasn't allowed to miss because of her major fuck up years ago.

After she lost her shit on Doggett she had been sent to SHU for three months and had another year added to her sentence for assault. She shrugged. Whenever she thought of her second visit in solitary. She was just glad she'd made it out of there alive a second time and hadn't lost her mind completely.

When she was released from SHU, she had been greeted with silence from the other inmates, a silence filled with respect and horror.

To her surprise, her friends had remained by her side. Nicky was even friendly, quiet but friendly.

The only thing that was on Piper's mind, was Alex.

Piper was glad she'd made it out of that hell hole called SHU, but she was truly terrified of meeting her. Alex had been so mad. Piper knew why. It was time to act like an adult and respect Alex's wishes. Even though it hurt, Piper wanted to show her that she could be a grown woman about it all.

She was determined to do it because, there was a teeny tiny light of hope in Piper that if she did what Alex had told her, they could at least be friends. She could almost live with that.

At her first dinner out of SHU Piper kept silent and listened to all the things she had missed while she was down the hill.

Apparently, Mr. Healy had quit his job, and left a week after the incident. So nobody knew what a villain he really was. She felt relived that he had left and wasn't watching her every move.

Miss Claudette was back, but kept to her own and didn't say that much about what had happened to her after she had assaulted the guard.

Red was back in the kitchen, although not in charge of it. It made Piper glad that Red had got her job back. They told her how miserable she had been without the job and how they all thought she would lose her shit if she didn't get it back, so Piper where really glad she was back in there.

Doggett had been sent to the hospital, but had been back in a month with new teeth, straight and everything. Piper nodded slowly at this announcement, she was glad Doggett had gotten new teeth but it really stung when she though about what she had done to her. She had a flashback to all the blood, and how her face had felt beneath her fists. She almost gagged, but tried to put on a good face for her friends, who where still gossiping.

After she recovered from the nasty flashback, Piper waited patiently at the dining table for her friends to tell her the one thing she had wanted to know every single day in the SHU; how was Alex? It was what had kept her alive in solitary, thinking and wondering what Alex was up to, hoping with every fiber in her body that she was alive and well. No one said anything about her. Slowly and quiet and a bit hoarse, since she hadn't really used her voice much in the solitary cell, Piper asked.

"So... how's... A... " She couldn't even complete the sentence, but everybody knew what she was asking about. Nicky looked down on her food and stayed silent while she poked on it with her spork. Piper almost dropped hers at Nicky's reaction. Had Alex been sent down the hill as well? Was it Piper's fault? She felt how fear and panic raced through her body as no one said a word. She looked down at her tray but her vision became blurred as tears started to fill her eyes.

Finally someone spoke up.

"She's been transferred. "


	2. Chapter 2

_**A hole in the heart**_

The sun had set even lower now and its reflection in the water lit up the world in a much warmer color now. Piper sighed and snuggled up in her blanket, the winds were getting a bit chillier now and she would have to get back soon if she didn't want to catch a cold. She was determined to watch the whole sunset.

* * *

After the day she found out that Alex had been transferred to another prison, she had gone out to the tracks. She ran until she could barely keep moving. That night she cried herself to sleep, wishing hopelessly that it was all a cruel joke and that Alex was still too pissed at her and couldn't bare the mere sight of her.

The next day she tried to act normal and adjust to life in camp again. She went to the new counselor, a woman she hadn't seen before, and asked if she could have her old bunk and stuff back. Her old bunk was taken, but she got transferred to another, right next to it and shared it with a new girl she hadn't met. She was really nice though, kept to herself and was tidy.

After a while she got used to the thought of not seeing Alex everyday, but she never stopped thinking about her, even after five years.

Nobody told her where Alex had been transferred, maybe they didn't know, but it still ate her alive not knowing where the raven-haired woman was, while she tried to do her remaining time in peace.

There were bad days and good days. On the bad days, she would cry herself to sleep, be awake the entire night or she couldn't eat without feeling like she was going to throw up. These days she would scream in her head that she had brought this on herself and it was time to be an adult about it, to face it and make it okay, but she knew it wouldn't be. The only thing that could make it fine was if she could see Alex again, and that wasn't going to happen.

So she faced the problems she could face. She talked to Larry, who hadn't changed his mind about this whole thing, even though she could see that he felt bad for her.

She was actually glad he hadn't changed his mind, because now she felt a bit more free, as free as one could feel behind bars, and was able to embrace who she really was, not only acknowledging a tiny bit of herself.

About two months after she got back from the SHU everything seemed to be back to normal. She was back in the electrical shop and worked to keep her mind Alex-free. Even though she tried, it was an impossible task.

Doggett didn't try anything, she didn't even acknowledge Pipers presence, which was a huge relief to her. It made her time a lot less difficult.

They did, however, bump into each other in the corridor once. Piper tried to say something about what had happened, but couldn't make a single word come out of her mouth. However, Dogette looked at her, instead of ignoring the fact that she existed, and before Piper could try and make a full sentence, she spoke.

"Whatever, college. I'm not gonna thank you for ma' new fine teeth so just cut the bull-crap and never talk to me again. God hasn't changed his plans on sending your ass to hell, so I'm not gonna step in his way to do that myself. I know he'll do a fine job by himself. " She stared intensely at the blonde and then pushed her hard against the wall before walking away.

Piper was still scared shitless for herself even two months after that comment, but Doggett didn't do anything.

* * *

Soon the sun would be completely set. It was getting colder, but Piper still intended to watch the show end.

Tears where slowly making their way down her face. All those memories, especially the bad ones, never faded and even after three years as a completely free woman, it made her cry. Sure, she had handled it all as an adult, but she would never accept that she hadn't chosen Alex in the first place. Maybe if she had, they would be sitting here on this beach together talking about crazy prison memories and laugh together. Maybe even kissing, but that was such a far-fetched thought, she laughed through her silent tears. It was a sad laugh and it made even more warm tears run down her cheeks.

Even now she would sometimes cry herself to sleep. Her life at the moment wasn't something she had imagined or could feel satisfied with. She had a crappy job as a receptionist at a hotel, a bad pay check and a decent apartment. The problem with her home was that it was just decent. It wasn't big and spacious, just a regular flat unlike when she lived with Alex.

Piper knew she shouldn't complain about how she had managed to rise from the ashes of prison, and started a real and true life. Most importantly; she was true to herself, but that didn't really feel like it was enough. The most unsettling thing, though, was that she was alone and felt alone. Even if she still had her friends, they couldn't fill the hole she had in her heart. A hole that was dedicated only to Alex. Maybe it was because she still missed all the adventures she and Alex had been off to. She really couldn't deny that she still had that in her. Or she just missed the raven-haired woman.

She still didn't know where Alex was, if she had been released or if she was even alive. The thought of Alex dead made her cry even harder. She sobbed loudly and tried to watch as the sun made it's way down the horizon, but her tears got in the way of nature most beautiful show.

After a while she stopped sobbing, got up and gathered her things. She decided that she would walk all the way home.

She slowly walked down the pavement and gazed at the stars that were starting to dress the sky. She was still sad that she didn't have someone to share this with. To hold someone's hand, to laugh with and someone to keep her warm at night.

She had tried to date after she got out of prison, but all of them had ended the same way; Either she got too drunk, she really had no clue on how much alcohol she could handle after her two year sober prison stay, or she really wasn't interested in her dates. They all seemed so dull, maybe that was the reason she got so drunk. It just felt like they hadn't accomplished anything or had been through shit like she had. What could really compare with two years in prison?

When she got home she took an hour long shower, filled her tub and sat there for another hour. For once in Pipers life her thoughts seemed to stand still in a sober state. It felt really nice to be able to go to bed and not really feel anything. Except maybe that she wanted to be a certain raven-haired woman's little spoon. But life do happen and as Alex once said; "life gets messy sometimes, you just gotta learn that you can't always fix it." Before she fell asleep she kept repeating a calm mantra in her head. "You have to be realistic, or your fantasies will crush you." It was harsh, but as the adult she now was, she knew life was tough sometimes.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just a ride to town?**_

She would sometimes visit Nicky at Litchfield. Piper really had no clue why Nicky would agree to put her on her visitor list, but Nicky had, and it was really good to see her again. She had come to a point where she no longer thought about what had happened between Nicky and Alex. She was just glad she could visit Nicky and that things were fine between the two of them again.

Since her release, she visited as often as she could, she and the ecstatic woman had become quite close.

She visited Nicky on a Wednesday in the end of May. The weather had been rainy and a bit chilly for the time of year. After they had chatted for a while, mostly about all the things that had happened in prison since Piper visited last, they refrained from talking and just stared out the window for a while.

Nicky had seemed a bit off and Piper asked what was wrong. She huffed and mumbled something she couldn't hear, but Piper pushed her to tell her what was going on. Nicky stared down at the floor and said quiet.

"She sent me a letter..." Piper didn't know what to say. She knew very well who Nicky meant, but until now, they seemed to have a silent agreement that they weren't going to talk about her. So Piper shifted awkwardly in her chair.

"What... did she say?" Piper asked mildly and soft, trying to hide all her feelings toward Alex even though she felt like crying. One thing she didn't get though, was why Nicky looked so sad.

Nicky searched Piper's face but didn't seem to find what she was looking for.

"She apologized for not sending any letters until now..." Piper stared at Nicky in disbelief. Alex hadn't sent one single letter to Nicky in over five years? Piper had thought she and Nicky had a regular letter exchange.

"What..." Piper stared at Nicky and couldn't really figure out anything else to say. Nicky sat in silence for a moment before she spoke.

"Yeah, that bitch hasn't sent anything since she left..." Nicky laughed humorlessly before she trailed off and bit her lip. Piper was to chocked to say anything.

"She said that she was going to be released soon." Piper fought back the tears threatening to show. It really was great news and all, but it really hurt her that Alex hadn't sent her a letter, but she knew why, and she surely didn't know her address. So she pushed back the tears and smiled a little. Piper knew it was a bad act, but she had to show Nicky she was an adult.

"Wow... yeah, that's... that's great... not... not that she didn't write to you until now I mean, but..." Piper couldn't pretend any longer and felt how tears slowly streaked down her face, but quickly wiped them away. She didn't want to hurt Nicky either so she quickly added.

"I didn't know she hadn't sent you anything... and it's great she finally got some balls to do it." Piper tried to smile but couldn't force herself to pretend that much, so she just looked down at her hands. Nicky rolled her eyes, not in a judging way, more a way that said, "Jesus kid, it's okay to cry". Nicky sighed loudly and positioned herself a bit straighter in her chair.

"I know Piper, but she had her reasons not to send anyone a letter, ya' know." Nicky leaned in over the table.

"Piper, look at me." Nicky stared at her with patience and didn't let go of her eyes. Piper raised her gaze and looked into Nicky's. She knew she stared at the brunette with those stupid puppy eyes of hers. She hated that she couldn't do anything about it, but she felt sad and sometimes she was that person everybody could read like a book.

"She wants you to pick her up when she gets released." Nicky stated calmly, but the sadness shone through her eyes. Piper's breath caught in her throat, and she thought she was fantasizing.

"What?" Piper stared at her with disbelief and her mouth ajar.

"Yeah, kid. You're gonna pick her up on Friday at twelve." Nicky had a sad smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

_**How to start a conversation**_

Piper didn't know what or how to feel on Friday when she was going to pick up a certain Alex Vause. She still hadn't figured out why Alex wanted her to pick her up.

Didn't she have anyone else on the outside? She did have a sister, right? Was this a vendetta against her and how, really? Was Alex really that small-minded? But if she was, why would she want Piper to pick her up when she finally got released from prison? To shout at her and accuse her for being such a horse's ass? No, that wasn't right, she had been a horse's ass. So Piper guessed Alex had every right to shout whatever she felt like shouting at her.

She had assumed that Alex was still pissed at her. Piper really hadn't expected that Alex would've forgiven her for choosing Larry, considering she never forgave her for leaving and breaking her heart. And Piper had broken her heart again. So it all seemed very odd.

Nicky hadn't helped her either. The only thing she had told her that was of interest was the address to the prison and nothing else.

After a while she stopped thinking about it. If she didn't, the thoughts would eat her alive. So she went to work and asked her boss if she could have that Friday off. Just the drive to the penitentiary would take her four hours, so she really needed the whole day for the mission of picking up Alex.

He said it was fine and that she could have the day off.

Thursday seemed to pass in slow motion. It wasn't really high season at the hotel yet so there weren't many guests and she was alone at the front desk. She tried to keep her thoughts calm and not think about what could happen when she picked up Alex.

Out of boredom she watched the clock every five minute and when her eight hour shift was finally over she felt like she had run a mental marathon. The headache of the century was closing in on her and when she got home she threw all of her clothes on the floor and swallowed two aspirins.

When she finally got under the covers in her bed, after a long shower, she kept twisting and couldn't find some peace of mind.

Different scenarios about what could happen the next day kept replaying in her head. They where mostly about how she pulled the car over at a deserted road somewhere in the forest and ravished Alex. She couldn't stop herself from these thoughts and felt how her body became hot and how a tingling sensation crept down south. Another thing she couldn't erase was, Alex's face all flushed and how moans escaped from her not-so-smug mouth and how she cried out her name in a very husky voice... Piper abruptly opened her eyes in frustration and got up from her bed. She didn't want these silly, yet oh-so-hot, thoughts if she knew she couldn't have them and it was rather selfish of her to be thinking of it. She knew that Alex would read her like a book tomorrow and she didn't cope with herself if she was going to flush like a schoolgirl the entire drive home.

So instead of continuing to twist in her sheets, she went into the living room and picked a book from the bookshelf. She hoped that the book would give her some peace of mind, but after reading the third page a second time she gave up, threw the book on the couch and started the TV. She thought that maybe there was a stupid reality-show on so she could finally think about something else. She flipped through the channels but didn't find what she was looking for at first, so she stopped at a random channel and waited for the commercials to end.

After the commercials, a show about some bisexual girl who wanted to find love came up. It was a really dumb show and she felt like she was losing IQ rather than gaining. Exactly what she was looking for, and the channel had a marathon with the show so she could watch until she fell asleep. After a while she got a bit hooked and watched until midnight, but there were still more episodes to come, so she set an alarm on her phone at seven and watched the show until she fell asleep.

The next morning the alarm went off way too early in Piper's opinion. After snoozing for ten minutes she got in the shower and then proceeded to get dressed. She poured some coffee in a large paper mug, grabbed some fruits and then went to the car she had rented for the day. Her nervous stomach couldn't handle anything other than coffee right now.

She picked up her phone, opened Google maps and entered the address of the prison, placing her phone in a holder before she started the car, heading off on her Friday mission.

A rather silly thought entered her head as she sped up on the highway; "Alex, here I come." She flushed hard at her quite childish thought and turned up the radio in an attempt to drench out other silly thoughts.

After less than four hours, she entered the prison parking lot. The traffic had been light and she was a bit early. She turned off her car and exhaled deep a couple of times, grabbing the steering wheel hard. When she felt a bit dizzy, she exited the car and went to the main building of the prison. She could feel her skin turn into goosebumps and she fought hard against the flashbacks that haunted her mind. Even though the prison didn't look like Litchfield it still had the barbed-wire fences that gave her the creeps.

When she entered the building she told the guard on duty that she was there to pick up Alex Vause who would be released that day. She was told to sit down and wait.

Piper sat down and felt how butterflies started to rumble around in her stomach. She hated herself for being nervous like a little teenager who was about to meet their biggest crush or maybe their favorite musician. She cursed herself silently and told herself to calm the fuck down. Even so, she had a hard time sitting still as her mind raced faster than ever. What would she look like after five years in prison? Would she be thinner, look more tired, would her smirk be worn or would her eyes be worn? Piper were so deep in her thoughts she didn't even notice when Alex strode in and placed herself in front of her. The raven-haired woman smirked when she saw the blonde deep in thoughts.

"Let me guess, can it be my awesome ass you're thinking of?" Piper snapped out of her thoughts so quickly when she heard Alex's voice, she almost got a whiplash. At this, Alex laughed and smiled at Piper. She almost looked the same, maybe a bit more toned. The smirk hadn't worn off and her eyes looked as sharp as ever.

She wore worn, black skinny jeans, a plain black t-shirt that hung lose around her upper body and a black leather jacket. Her black hair had grown quite a bit and it framed her beautiful face better than ever.

Piper fought hard not to blush and got up from her chair, but paused. She had no idea how she would or was allowed to act around Alex. Was it okay to hug her or was she just a ride back to town? She had no clue how to act adult around this woman. A woman she adored and was still very much in love with. So she just smiled and laughed softly.

"Hey to you too. " Piper said with a shy smile on her lips. Alex just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Get over here." The raven-haired said in her deep voice, took a step forward and embraced the blonde.

Piper tried to sigh discreetly at this action and let herself hug her as tightly as she thought was proper. It always felt good to hug Alex, but after not being able to hug the woman of her dreams for five years, it felt amazing and she wished that it would last forever. But this was a friendly hug, she reminded herself. She had to be realistic about the situation, so she let go after a while, but Alex still held her. She actually held onto her quite fiercely. Piper wanted to skip with joy, but reminded herself that Alex probably hadn't had this much human contact in what must have felt like ages. So she resumed the hug and let Alex decide how long it would last. She breathed in Alex's scent and let it cloud her senses. She could feel the other woman's heartbeat and a feeling of being safe settled on her. She couldn't help herself from smiling into Alex's neck.

After what seemed like hours Alex let go of her and smiled.

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to spend another minute in this dump." Piper nodded at this statement and headed for the door as Alex picked up a box with her stuff in it.

She felt really awkward in this situation, but told herself to let Alex steer the conversations, because she had no fucking clue what to say or how to act.

They got into the car and Piper started the engine, the whole time Alex had a big smile on her lips. Piper understood why. She was finally free and could do anything she wanted. It suddenly struck her that she should have brought Alex something to eat. The fruits she took that morning were all eaten.

"Have you eaten?" Piper focused on the road as she waited for the other woman to reply.

"Just shitty prison breakfast, I just missed lunch." Piper nodded as she stopped at a stop sign.

"I can stop anywhere you like, it's going to take a while before we get into town so just shout." Piper smiled a tiny smile at Alex before she saw that it was clear to drive.

"I'll let you know." Alex stared out of the window and smiled. It was then Piper realized that she didn't know where Alex wanted to be dropped off when they got to town.

"Umm... I don't know where to drop you off. Do you want to be dropped of at a certain address? " Piper fiddled a bit when she tried to get her phone out of her jeans pocket so she could write the address Alex said.

"I haven't been able to fix a place yet, and I'm not on probation so, can I bunk at yours for a while?" The other woman looked at her a bit curios. Piper was really chocked and almost dropped her phone. She swallowed hard. How was she going to manage this? Alex in her tiny apartment for a few days, or whatever a while meant.

But she wanted to be a good friend, so she had to manage somehow.

"Yeah, sure, absolutely. I don't have a flashy apartment but I have a living room with a couch. If you're okay with that?" Piper couldn't help her nervous tone, she hoped that it would slip right through Alex's mind without being noticed. But hardly, the raven-haired woman had a really calculating mind so, it was too late. She could see in the corner of her eye that Alex smiled.

"Yeah don't worry, that'll be fine. I'll have my own place in a couple of days. Besides, I bet your couch will be like heaven compared to prison beds." When Piper heard that she just nodded.

She had no fucking clue how she would start a conversation with her. She still didn't know where she stood at with Alex. She drove in silence for a couple of minutes before she couldn't stand it anymore.

"So... You look good." Piper said and shifted a little in her seat, but kept her eyes on the road. She hoped that it was okay for her to say that.

"You too." Alex chuckled, even though it was just a chuckle it still reached all the way into Piper's heart. It felt good hearing her laugh again.

"Have you been working out? You look toned." Piper tried to hide her smile when Alex laughed before answering.

"They had a really great yoga instructor there, so I figure I'd give it a shot. I just had to know what you saw in it." Alex smiled when she saw that Piper shifted a bit in her seat. Had Alex thought of her? And as always, the raven-haired read her like a book.

"Yeah, you were on my mind from time to time..." Alex's smile faded a bit and she looked out the window. Piper felt like she had to say something. Apologize at least, but at the same time she didn't want to destroy the atmosphere they had managed to create so far.

"You have also been on my mind." She didn't really know why she had said that, but she continued before Alex could say anything else.

"Al... I'm sorry. I really am..." There was so much more she wanted to say and apologize for, so she thought that now that she had brought it up, she might as well say those things. She sighed and braced herself.

"I know I'm known to fuck things up, and that this pathetic excuse won't make things different or better, but I want you to know that I want this to work out. Whatever you want it to be." She silently cursed herself for saying that she wanted "this" to work out. She could have just said to her that she wanted her back and to fuck her right there and then. At the thought of fucking Alex she felt how she was starting to blush, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside, considering that this was quite a serious situation. She sighed and waited anxiously for Alex's reply. Alex shifted in her seat a bit and shoved her box of things into the back seat of the car.

"I know. And... I'm sorry too." Piper stared at the raven-haired. She didn't have anything to be sorry about, right? Since the conversation was going this way, she thought she might as well ask.

"Why...? It was I who fucked up and hurt you, again. You haven't done anything wrong Alex. I was the horse's ass." Piper tried to lighten up the mood with that reference but felt like she failed. Alex sighed and looked at Piper, who had to concentrate on the road, but she could feel the look she got. A look that always seemed to pierce her soul.

"You were absolutely a horse's ass, but I should have listened to you that day when you came to my bunk. I had no fucking clue that that freak was after you for real, and when you came to my bunk I could see in your eyes that your whole world had fallen apart and I was blinded by my second heartache from you and a bit fed up with your bullshit at the time. But still, I should have listened to what you had to say and then have decided if it was bullshit or not, and... I never apologized for putting you in prison, I'm sorry about that." Piper analyzed her speech thoroughly, but couldn't find one bitter tone in it. Alex continued.

"But still. Fuck you for choosing him. I mean, I'm over it but apology accepted." Even though she got tough critique it felt nice to hear her say it, and especially Alex's apology about getting her thrown in prison. They didn't say anything for a while and Piper continued to analyze what she had said. What was she really over? Her? Or just the fact that she had chosen Larry? Alex interrupted her thoughts.

"So, how is your happily prison-wed husband?" Alex still looked out of the window, in this question, however, Piper could hear somewhat of a sour tone. She decided to drop it for the moment and focus on answering the question.

"Well... there was no prison wedding, and never became one outside the walls either and there is no man in my life." Alex seemed quite indifferent to the answer, but she was famous for not displaying her feelings like an open book. Instead she just asked another question.

"How was SHU?" Piper shivered whenever she heard the name of the real hell on this earth.

"A hell hole." Alex nodded at the statement and peppered Piper with another.

"How much time did you get?" Now, she looked more interested.

"Three months in hell and another year in medium hell." Piper stared at the road with a blasé look on her face. Alex's jaw dropped. She almost shouted when she responded to the answer.

"Three months!? What the actual fuck!? How the fuck did you survive in there without losing it or starving to death?" Piper bit her lip. She really didn't want to answer that question. She had hopes on them becoming friends, but if she answered this question, none of her wishes might come true. She wasn't really sure how Alex would handle the answer. Her wish was of course a future with Alex as her girlfriend, but this answer could screw things up. So, she answered it as truthfully as she could at the moment.

"It was hard, and after about five years... It still makes me cry." She paused, she always felt a bit uneasy not admitting the whole truth to Alex. Since it always felt like the raven-haired could see through her, so what was really the point then to not say it all? Sure it was the truth but she didn't really answer the question. It would make her feel so much better to really say how, but Alex cut her off.

"I know there were was a lot of blood and all, but three fucking months!? I'm so fucking glad I got transferred from that corrupt hell." Alex slumped back into her seat, and let out a huge sigh. Piper gripped the steering wheel hard when she mentioned the quantity of blood. She dropped all of her thoughts about telling her how she managed SHU when Alex had dropped that bomb.

"How... how did you know that there was much blood?" Piper bit her lip hard. She couldn't remember anything that night, except from beating the living shit out of Doggett, and the next thing she could remember was waking up in the cell from hell, with a lot of blood on her hands and shirt.

"They dragged you out of the yard like a lifeless rag and you were covered in Doggett's blood. Fuck, Piper, it almost looked like you had murdered that God loving cunt." Alex paused before she continued in a much lower voice.

"Fuck... I was so worried about what they would do to you and what had really happened out there." Alex fiddled a bit with her glasses and bit her lip, a sign that she was nervous or uncomfortable. Piper wasn't able to form a single word and took a deep breath. She was almost on the verge of tears and stole a quick glance at Alex. She looked sad. She really had been worried about her. Piper started to wonder if that was why she transferred. Had she been afraid of meeting a different and changed Piper when she was back from the SHU? But when Piper thought about it; was it even possible that she could make that request herself? If not, why was she transferred?

She shook these thoughts off, it wasn't time to ask these questions now. This conversation had taken a nasty turn but Piper felt like she owed Alex a real explanation of what had really happened, since she had obviously worried about her.

"I walked out of the chapel before the ending of the pageant and walked out to the yard to cry. I just couldn't handle the situation I had put myself in and I couldn't stand the fact of being around people. So I walked out and had like a minute to myself before Doggett was there." She took a deep breath and saw that Alex was paying full attention to what she was saying. She continued.

"She had a sharpened wooden cross in her hand and kept ranting about how I had disrespected her and that it was her duty to erase me from earth. Then she told me..." Piper trailed off and felt how tears built in her eyes, she tried to prevent them from falling but she couldn't. She really wanted to tell this story to Alex without it seeming like she felt sorry for herself, but she didn't know how to tell this story without crying, especially considering what she was going to tell then.

"Then she told me that nobody loved me and, that I wasn't worthy of anybody's love, and that's where I lost it. I kicked her in the groin and elbowed her in the back. She fell to the ground so I sat on top of her and just kept beating her in the face... And then, I guess I must have passed out." Tears flowed freely now, but she realized she had missed a part of the story. So she smiled sadly through the tears.

"But you know what? It all could have been stopped. Before Doggett said that about love, Healy walked out in the yard and saw us. I kept screaming to him that she was going to kill me. But apparently I had burnt all my bridges to that fat homophobic sorry excuse of a man, so he looked at me and just walked in again." Piper stared blankly at the road with tears streaming down her face. Alex just sat there looking like she couldn't believe what she just heard, and boy, was she hard to overwhelm.

"Piper... pull over..." Alex's voice sounded drained and maybe stressed? Piper couldn't tell.

"There's a restaurant up ahead." Piper just nodded. She felt too numb to do anything else.

When she had parked the car and turned it off she closed her eyes. The tears had stopped by then, but she felt so emotionally drained she couldn't move. She heard Alex unbuckle her seatbelt and could feel herself being watched.

"You okay, kid?" Piper opened her eyes and felt like a complete asshole for telling her what she just had. This was Alex's day. It should be a happy day so Piper collected herself for Alex's sake. She sighed before she felt like she was ready to talk again.

"I'm so sorry for telling you this. I mean, it's your day and I shouldn't have. I just felt like I had to, but I don't want this to be about feeling sorry for myself. I fucked up. And I'm sorry for crying..." Piper was about to continue her little incoherent rant but Alex shook her head and took Piper's hands in her own and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't be. I, and nobody else for that matter, had no fucking clue what had happened. So don't be sorry, okay?" Piper looked down on their hands when she said another thing that sounded as soppy as her crying.

"I... I haven't told anyone what really happened either." Piper said and Alex just nodded.

"But you framed that asshole, Healy when you got out from SHU, right?" The raven-haired woman smiled a bit and tried to lighten up the mood, but Piper just shook her head.

"No..."

"What!? Why?" Alex let go of her hands and looked angrily at Piper and raised her voice and continued.

"That fuckhead should be locked up as well and you know that, Pipes, And..." Piper just shook her head and lifted a finger to Alex's mouth to silence her.

"Nobody would've believed me and he quit the week after the incident." She smiled a sad smile and unbuckled her own seat belt. Alex's mouth formed a thin line and she just shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back in her seat like a moody child.

"Let's eat." She exited the car while she spoke her mind, and before she knew what she had said, it was out there.

"It was you, who kept me from losing my shit in SHU." This statement made Alex snap out of her mood. She just stared at the blonde one and her face was unreadable so Piper closed the door and headed to the restaurant.

When she reached the front door she turned around to see if Alex was coming or not. The raven-haired woman was just about to get out of the car and was at the front door at no time at all. Piper had no idea how she had taken that last piece of information she had thrown at her, but as always, Alex face was a wall of bricks.


	5. Chapter 5

_**The menu**_

After the meal Piper felt refreshed and was more than ready to get going. They had gotten about half way before they stopped and she really wanted to get home.

A part of her was overly excited over the fact that Alex would be living with her again. The other part of her felt a bit scared. She wanted this to work out, to have Alex in her life again, no matter what their relationship would turn out to be.

She was glad that Alex had told her to stop. Their conversations were good in a way, but they touched really sensitive subjects that one really shouldn't discuss while driving.

Alex hadn't said much about their previous conversations during the meal, just how much she had missed real food. Piper promised her that she could have whatever she wanted for dinner and that she, herself, would cook it. At that, Alex had laughed.

They drove in silence for a while before Piper felt comfortable enough to ask her about the transfer.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to ask this, and you don't have to answer but... Why did you transfer?" Piper tried to act like this was a normal question, like; how's the kids?

Alex was quiet for a really long time and Piper thought that she had crossed a line and that she had ruined everything and was about to say she was sorry for asking when Alex finally spoke up.

"I don't know. They decided that. I got transferred about two days after you were looked up in SHU. I bet it was Healy who made the request." Alex chuckled and snapped her fingers.

"And, I bet it was after that shot we got! "She chuckled.

"I mean, he sure didn't want his straight A-inmate joining the softball team and messing around with a tall, hot, dark haired lesbian." A smug smile danced on her lips while she said this all very dramatically before she laughed.

"You know I'm not straight, Al." Piper stared at the road and didn't look for the raven-haired woman's reaction to that statement. Piper thought that the discussions about her sexuality were getting old. It was just something Alex would blame her for when she wasn't getting her way with Piper. If she only knew, Piper thought, she liked hot people and girls tended to be the majority of the hot people she liked, even though, no one could compare to Alex's hotness. So all that talk about being straight was really starting to get to her.

They sat quiet for a long time as they both felt that all their questions were answered, for the moment.

When they where almost at the town Piper remembered her promise about dinner.

"So, what would you like for dinner?" Piper smiled at the thought of cooking a real dinner for Alex, it felt so home and safe, and this time, she wouldn't feel like a pathetic housewife, even though she was cooking for a friend, she added in her mind.

"I don't even know what you can cook, or if you can." Alex smirked as she knew this would provoke Piper.

"You doubt my ability to cook? Is that a challenge?" Piper looked at Alex with a mock hurt look on her face.

"I don't know, is it?" She smirked at Piper, who took that as a yes.

"Bring it on." She smiled and waited for the menu.

"Hmm, for starters I want a roe cheesecake, with a white wine to go with it. The main course should be Filé Mignon, with home-made mashed potatoes and a delicious red wine. Yeah, that would impress even me." She smirked and chuckled.

After Piper heard the menu that Alex demanded she immediately thought she was in too deep, but had to act cool and say she could pull it off because, she always wanted to act cool around Alex. Besides, a challenge was a challenge.

"Sure, I can do that." Piper wanted to sink to the ground and she really hoped that Alex would go easy on her and change the menu.

"Oh, but I forgot the dessert." Alex really thought this was hilarious, and Piper felt that this couldn't be a more impossible task with a dessert picked by the queen of luxury.

"Hmm, I can't really think of anything I want for dessert so... I guess I'll give you _free hands_ on that one." The raven-haired smirked and pouted her lips, and playfully arching her eyebrow. Piper could tell it was all a game by her dessert choice. She could only think of one meaning to that one. Piper could have her for dessert, or the other way around, but then again, she wouldn't allow herself to get her hopes up. She was cooking for a friend, right?

Alex had always enjoyed playing games and still did. She liked to provoke Piper and make sarcastic jokes on other peoples behalf. So, she would take the dessert request literally, make a dessert of her own choice. Right now wasn't the time to play one of Alex's games. Or was it?


	6. Chapter 6

_**Dinner with a friend or a lover?**_

When they got to the apartment and Piper had shown it to Alex, she went out shopping for the dinner, leaving Alex alone to adjust to her free life.

After she had bought all of the ingredients for the food, she wandered around the mall to find something for Alex. Piper didn't know if she had any clothes, other than what she came in, so she thought it would be nice if she bought her a sweater at least.

She found a really nice one. It was a black knitted sweater, oversized to the style and Piper thought it would really complement her curves.

When she got home again, she started the massive work in the kitchen while Alex watched some TV and drank beer. Piper had refused her offers of help and had dismissed her to the living room with said drink.

She felt so lost when she tried to manage all these complicated recipes and all, but didn't give up hope on this becoming the feast of the year.

When she was finally ready with all of the exhausting food making, she went to her bedroom and quickly changed into something nicer: black skinny jeans and a white shirt that hung loose, tying her quite long hair in a sloppy, but fashionable, ponytail. After that she rushed to the kitchen to set the table and make it look cozy. She went into the living room and smiled when she saw how much Alex enjoyed watching TV of her own choice, the beer bottle already empty on the coffee-table.

She smiled and thought she might play along with Alex's game to some extent. Piper knew she would be amused by it and, it would make all of this feel like the old times.

"Dinner is ready, Miss Vause. This way." She smirked and waited for Alex to rise from the couch so she could escort her to the kitchen. The raven-haired woman just laughed softly before she stood up.

"Thank you, kind lady. I thought I was left in here to starve." She chuckled and let herself be led into the kitchen.

The table was set in a very modern way but the candle in the middle of it gave it a more classic touch. Piper showed Alex her seat and brought a bottle of white wine, pouring some in Alex's glass for her to taste.

"Excellent, it will be perfect." Alex was enjoying every bit of the game and Piper did too. She smiled.

"If Miss would be so kind and wait here while I prepare the starters." Piper had to bite down on her lip not to laugh at the show they where putting on.

"Wow, this place has really nice service. Maybe I should stay here forever." Alex arched her eyebrow at Piper and smiled her famous smug smile. Piper almost dropped the wine bottle when Alex said that, but tried to act cool and not show how thrilled she was by the comment. It would be a dream come true, but she still wasn't sure how Alex really felt about her. Would she ever be willing to go for another spin on Piper's merry-go-round? She shook it off and smiled back before she replied.

"Anything for a hot, famous lesbian." She put the wine bottle down and returned to her task on preparing the starters.

She cut up the roe cheesecake and served it. Piper had never had one before but found that it was delicious. All the flavors in contrast with each other made her mouth melt and her taste-buds do double back flips. How could she ever question Alex's good taste in food, she thought.

"Oh my God, this is heaven to the mouth. Why haven't I tried it before?" Piper exhaled and ate the rest of it slowly to savor and extend the mouth pleasures it was giving her.

"It was good. Maybe you aren't such a back cook after all." Alex's said with a mischievous smile on her lips. Piper blushed a little at the compliment but remembered that it all came from a challenge.

"Wait until you taste the dessert. It will blow your mind." Piper said in a confident way, hinting on Alex choice of dessert. She stood up and took away their plates, leaving the raven-haired to ponder on what it would be.

After finishing the main course and two bottles of wine, they were both full and slightly intoxicated

"Admit it, you were wrong." Piper said calmly with an Alex-styled smile on her lips. The raven-haired just chuckled.

"Admit what? I'm never wrong." She tilted her head a bit and smirked.

"That I can cook, and, do it damn well." Piper said with a low voice she usually used in the bedroom, her eyes followed suit as well.

"And... I won the bet." She pointed at Alex who tried to hide a smile from the comments of the blonde.

"Who said it was a bet?" She was still trying to hide a smile, but didn't do a very good job with it. When Alex was drunk she liked to play these games even more than when she was sober and she would always be set on staring down her pray with a mysterious and mischievous look on her face. Despite the fact that she always sat in a corner sipping, whatever drink, she got all the girls to come to her. Like a spider in it's web.

"You smug little prick! Just admit it. I am a good cook!" Piper laughed and the raven-haired joined in. She was really enjoying playing these games with Alex. It felt good to have someone to laugh with again. Alex understood her sense of humor and they had been through the same things.

"Oh, I'm a _prick_? You've become a really classy lady in my absent, Miss Chapman." She laughed hard and bit on her lip before she calmed down enough to continue.

"I was impressed, I'll give you that." Alex smiled a winning smile and took another sip of the wine. Piper gave up on getting a more praising compliment from her. She knew that this was as good as it would get.

They refrained from the game a while and just enjoyed the moment of silence and each others company. Piper felt warm inside and thought that this was the best moment of her life. Having Alex here and for them to just talk to each other, it was the best. Talking hadn't been a thing they had practiced so much before. As Alex had stated; they were never really friends when they were together. But now, it felt like they were becoming friends, it was a new feeling for both of them.

It felt really good getting this quality time with Alex and nothing being about sex, only in jokes. Although, she wouldn't say no to bed related playtime with her.

"It feels like we're playing house, again." Piper said as she took a sip of the red wine, staring into Alex's green-greyish eyes. The depths they held made Piper go crazy every time she had a moment to really drown in them. It was an intimate stare down, in which they both participated. If Piper was sober she would've been really afraid that she would jump off the chair and ravish her then and there, but with the alcohol in her system, she wasn't afraid of holding the raven-haired woman's gaze for as long as she had been now, and she wasn't sure if she cared about jumping Alex.

Alex took good time in replying to the statement, but didn't take her eyes off Piper.

"I do love to play." This statement was hard for Piper to interpret. When she last said that it felt like they were playing house, Alex had replied with; "Do you wanna play doctor instead?" And now she replied with this? Piper didn't know what to make of it, it was almost the same reply, wasn't it? She kept staring into Alex's eyes and pondered on what she really meant. The game they were playing made it hard for her to tell if she was having dinner with a friend or a lover. Both, she hoped.

She saw how something in Alex's eyes changed. It wasn't about her eyes becoming clouded with lust, this was something new to Piper and she was about to ask if something was wrong, but the raven-haired woman beat her to it.

"But, let's be serious." Alex sat up straighter in her chair, Piper could tell she was quite intoxicated by the way she moved. It was a bit slower than usual, but still as graceful as she was sober. She just took a bit more care in how she moved.

"Tell me, how I helped you not lose your shit in SHU. Was it because you were thinking of any specific body parts of mine?" She still had that playful look in her eyes, but it was clouded by something else. This was a serious question dressed in the fashion of their game.

Piper stared down at the wine glass and thought it was better to speak the truth this time and really answer the question. Even though she could wrap it in silk, and maybe leave out how she had not just imagined some specific body parts, but all of Alex's body. Naked. On top of her. Doing her.

She didn't want to ruin the mood, and didn't know if Alex really wanted to know about her fantasies about her.

"I... I regretted my choice and felt like a real scum of the earth for hurting you, again. I kept thinking about how I would make it all better. It made me think that there was a world beside that box of concrete and it was a better brain exercise than killer Sudoku." She smiled a bit trying to keep playing their game with the last reference.

"I'll also admit I was jealous." She didn't dare to face Alex's stare yet, but she had to. She saw that the raven-haired stared at her with and arched eyebrow. The game was over.

"Jealous? Of what?" Piper could see how Alex was trying to figure out what she could possibly be referring to.

"Of Nicky." She had let the pig out of the bag. Piper hoped that Alex wouldn't think she was just jealous of the ecstatic brunette because she got to fuck Alex.

The raven-haired was quiet, but still looked at Piper, and again her face was like a wall of bricks. Only the arched brow gave away her chock of this statement. Piper wondered how she was going to save this. She thought only the truth would do, even if the raven-haired didn't agree with her.

"But I also realized in there that I only want a life with you. Because it had been the only time in my life where I was true to myself. Larry was just some escape to safety and life isn't safe. Life will kill you, right? I mean, I didn't even tell him about us, and what we had done until the Feds showed up. I was afraid he would judge me and I guess I was scared of that side of me too." As she said all of this she looked into Alex's eyes, trying to show her that it came from her heart. It was true and not some manipulative trick to get her to bed.

"Ever since, I have embraced myself as the person I am. Not running away from myself, even if it scares me sometimes." Alex just nodded and held her gaze fixed on Piper.

"Well, I'm glad I helped you with that." After she said that she rose from her chair and went out of the kitchen. Piper sighed as she heard the bathroom door closing and the lock being turned.

When Alex went out of the kitchen Piper thought she might as well give her her present now, and dessert. But she would retort to her bedroom after she was done, to give Alex some space.

She went to her bedroom the retrieve Alex's present and laid it on the coffee-table. She walked into the kitchen and slumped down on a chair with her face in her hands. Had she really fucked it up again? Or was it never okay? Alex had said she was over it, but that could really be anything. Piper cursed herself for saying that to the other woman, even if it was true. Now she had practically said to Alex that she had hurt her for nothing else than a realization. That, was fucked up.

She brought out the dessert from the fridge, a mud cake, cut it up and brought a plate of it to the living room and went back to the kitchen to start cleaning it up.

Piper heard the other woman move from the bathroom to the living room. After a while she heard Alex unwrapping the present. She waited to see if the raven-haired would say something, but everything was quiet. So she decided that she would go look if she was still mad, and apologize, giving up the thought of giving the other woman some space. She really wanted to apologize.

When she entered the living room Alex stood there with a naked upper body, just about to pull on the new sweater. Piper gasped in surprise, she hadn't meant to stumble in on Alex when she changed. Just what she needed. To walk in on Alex half naked and stare at the other body in front of her when the other woman had paused from putting on her clothes. She braced herself and quickly turned around, staring was just not allowed. Not after the kitchen scene.

"Shit, sorry, didn't, I mean..." Piper shut her own mouth when she heard how silly she sounded. She could feel how her cheeks turned bright red. "Fuck, how can I untangle myself from all these fuck ups? I really am the queen of fuck ups. Great." She thought.

"You're scared of this too? I mean, it's nothing you haven't seen before." Alex said and Piper turned around and had a weird look on her face. She could hear the tone the other woman had in her voice. It was a bit harsh. She would use it when she made a serious statement like, "Did your feet swell when you went back to boys?".

"I didn't know if I could..." Piper shifted a bit where she stood.

"Stare away." Alex had a challenging look on her face and returned to pulling on the shirt and feeling how the new piece of clothing felt on her. Piper took a step forward and looked down on the floor.

"Hey... Al, I'm sorry." She still stared at the floor, but felt really silly and that she needed to apologies more accurately, but Alex cut her off.

"It's okay. You were just being honest, for once. I like that new side of you." Alex sat down on the couch and made it quite clear she didn't think there were much more to discuss on that part. Piper just stood there sheepishly and didn't know what to say. Alex sighed.

"Get yourself a plate of this good looking dessert and join me in here, kid." Alex looked for the remote and started the TV. Piper did as she was told, got a plate and sat down with Alex.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sweet dreams in dreamland**_

It was a bit after midnight and Piper smiled lightly at the sight of a sleeping Alex. She never fell asleep first and most certainly not this early. She had had a job that required her attention most of the night after all, but Piper guessed that prison routines where heavily rooted in her now.

At first, Piper had seen her battle with the sleep, trying really hard to stay awake, but she had dozed of several times and now Alex had her head in her lap, fast asleep. First, she had just laid her head on the blonde's shoulder, but as soon as her body had relaxed and she dozed off, her head had fallen off Piper's shoulder. Piper had laughed at this and said that she could lay down on her lap if she wanted to. Alex had done it without a word and out of old habits, Piper had started to lightly stroke her hair. She didn't even think about it, it was just and old routine that her muscles remembered as if it was programmed in her. Alex didn't protest either, and soon she was sleeping, warm and content.

Piper didn't want to leave Alex there, she was so cute when she slept and Piper hadn't really seen much of a sleeping Alex. Only on rare occasions when she woke before her, and when that happened, she was treated with a beautiful sight: the raven-haired all relaxed. She was usually so stressed and always had a wrinkle on her forehead due to all the pressure she had on her.

She was getting really tired and wanted to go to bed soon but, it would break her heart to wake Alex. She got and idea. Alex had already been treated like a queen this day, so why not continue doing it?

"Al?" Piper stroked the other woman's arm to wake her. Alex grunted and turned around.

"Hey, you can't sleep here. Come with me." The raven-haired protested again but sat up looking as sleepy as a little kid in the morning. She stared at Piper, probably half asleep, waiting for orders. The blonde stood up and reached out a helping hand to Alex, who took it and let her be dragged to Piper's bedroom. She still had her hand in Alex's as she sat her down on the bed.

"Now you can dream in dreamland." Piper laughed softly and placed a soft kiss on her head before she could stop herself, but Alex just sat there looking like she was sleeping. Piper crouched down and laid her hands on the other woman's lap.

"You'll manage it from here? I won't have you sleeping in your clothes in my bed." Alex body relaxed for a second and she almost fell to the floor before she woke up from her micro-nap, grabbing the blonds shoulders for support. Piper stood up again.

"Okay, I'll help you. Raise you arms." Piper said it in a very calm and low voice.

Alex did what she was told and soon the shirt was off. Piper stole a glance of the body she knew all to well but she felt bad and looked into Alex's half opened eyes instead.

"Unbutton your pants." It looked like it was almost to much for Alex, but she managed to do that herself and stood up so that Piper could drag them off of her long, slender legs.

When her pants pooled at the floor she took a step forward to get out of them and when the blonde rose they stood with their faces inches from each others. Piper felt like she couldn't breath. She had the woman she was so hot for half naked in front of her. She froze and waited to see what the other woman would do.

Alex looked a bit more awake, but it was hard to tell in the dark room. Slowly, Alex leaned forward and made contact with Piper's soft lips. Her lips seemed more awake than her body, even though they moved gently. Piper just let her brain shut down and go with the flow. She didn't rush the kiss and let the raven-haired lead the way. Alex's hand tangled in her hair and pushed her gently in to the kiss. The heat of their lip-locking rushed through Piper's body and somehow her hands where now on Alex naked hips. Waves of pleasure and warmth spread trough her and her heart thumped hard against her chest. She almost thought it was going to stop beating, but then her pulse sped up as Alex moved closer and made contact with her body. The one hand that wasn't tangled in Pipers hair now rested on her cheek. At this, Piper let her hands run up Alex's toned back.

Suddenly it all stopped and Alex withdrew from the kiss, still looking as sleepy as before. Piper was left in shock, but managed to get her brain to function quite quickly and cleared her throat. She didn't know if she would pretend this didn't happened or act like it did. She decided on the former as Alex made her way to the bed.

"God night. Sleep tight." Piper said as Alex crept under the covers and seamed to be sleeping as soon as she hit the pillow. Piper backed out of the room, hoping the raven-haired would at least say something.

When she reached the door, the raven-haired still hadn't said anything so Piper closed the door slowly, and just when it was going to close, Alex spoke quietly.

"Thanks for everything, Pipes. It means a lot. "


	8. Chapter 8

_**After five years**_

She was woken by her phone the next morning. It kept buzzing, loud and angry. She answered it and was told to get up and come to work. Piper hung up and groaned. Apparently her co-worker called in sick and she had to fill in on the shift. She got up from the couch, went in to the bedroom and found that Alex was still asleep.

She smiled and sat down on the edge of the queen-sized bed, which woke the raven-haired woman. Alex opened her eyes slowly and smiled when she saw Piper.

"Hey." She said in her raspy morning voice and snuggled up a bit in the cover. Piper smiled too and wanted to kiss the woman in front of her, but fought that thought away since she didn't know whether Alex remembered last night or not.

When didn't Alex look sexy? Piper thought. She really had to stop these thoughts now, or she would soon be all worked up, and more revealing, she would blush.

"God morning. Hope you had a good night." She sighed and remembered she had to get to work as quickly as she could.

"I have to go to work. There's food in the fridge and you make yourself at home when you get up." The raven-haired sighed.

"Work sucks." Alex turned around so her back faced Piper.

"I know, but it gives me a pay check." She stood up and gathered some clothes from her wardrobe and before she got out of the room Alex laughed and spoke her mind.

"I guess it's my turn to feel like a pathetic housewife." Alex said and faced the blonde again. Piper turned around and smiled at Alex.

"Maybe, but I still cooked you dinner. I'm still the housewife and I really can't see you as one either." They both laughed.

"Yeah, that would be funny." Alex said and Piper went to the bathroom.

Before she got out of the apartment she went to Alex again.

"You can call me whenever you want. I'll leave my phone here, the number to work is programmed in it. Sorry, I have to go to work today." Piper stared at the floor.

"It's okay, kid. I can be the housewife today." She smiled and motioned for Piper to get her ass to work. As she walked out of the door, she wondered if Alex even remembered the kiss and if she would bring it up later?

_~Later that day~_

Piper unlocked her door and threw her keys on her small drawer and slipped out of her shoes. She was exhausted from work and forgot that Alex was there so she didn't shout a hello.

She casually walked into the living room and there she found Alex, almost to her surprise. Another thing surprised her even more; Alex was crying. Her glasses laid on the coffee-table, which showed she had been crying for a while. When Piper entered the room Alex tried to wipe the tears away but she couldn't stop them from coming. The blonde rushed to her side, not knowing if she was allowed to do that, but she really didn't care. She embraced Alex.

"Sh-sh, it's okay." She stroked her black hair and tried to calm her. She felt how Alex relaxed a bit under her touch and started to breath more calmly, but she still cried. Piper placed a small kiss on her head.

"It's okay, I'm here." She held the raven-haired woman tightly and she slowly rocked her from side to side in an attempt to calm her down even more. The other woman shifted and laid her head in the blondes neck and embraced her back after she had calmed down a bit. Piper whispered comforting things in Alex ear and continued to stroke her hair. Alex sighed heavily. They sat like this for a moment and the raven-haired woman calmed down even more, but suddenly Piper gasped as she felt tiny kisses on her neck wandering towards her ear. At this contact Piper tried to snake out of Alex embrace. It wasn't like she didn't want this, hell, she had waited five years for this, but since Alex were crying, and considering her reaction last night, she started to wonder if this was such a good idea. When Alex had just turned her back on Piper after the kiss Piper had seen it as a "let's never talk about this again" thing.

"Al..." But Alex didn't listen and the kisses grew more urgent and it became much harder for Piper to get out off Alex more tightening grip. The raven-haired woman nibble on her ear and an involuntary moan escaped Piper's lips.

Alex took control and laid on top of Piper. Her hands started to caress the blondes breasts through the shirt. Even though Piper felt how all this attention gather down south and she was getting wetter, it still seemed like a bad idea.

"Alex... is... is this really a, ooh... good idea?" Piper closed her eyes and had a hard time finishing the sentence as one of Alex's hands slipped under her shirt and bra. She tried to focus on this being a bad idea as all of her senses became more clouded with desire.

Alex stopped her motions and stared at Piper who opened her eyes when the raven-haired stopped. Her eyes still looked a bit puffed from crying but they still held a whole lot of determination and lust.

"Yeah." She stated simply, but Piper still squirmed under her touch and she looked even more fierce now.

"I haven't had anyone in five years. I'm going to have you now." At this statement Piper could only form her mouth into a surprised "oh" before Alex was on her lips. Piper moaned deeply when their lips made contact. At first the kiss was one-sided but then Piper woke up and started participating in the kiss. She felt like she was in dreamland and thought that if it was Alex who started it, she would happily ride along. This wasn't like the kiss last night, they were both sober, and Alex was definitely more participating.

Alex hands, which were kneading her breasts, began to wander down. They now stroked Piper's stomach so gently that her abdominal muscles twitched. Piper's breath was shallow and her body seemed to pulsate and her more delicate parts screamed for some attention.

Piper let her hands roam Alex body and eventually they slipped under the knitted shirt Piper had given her. She felt how the raven-haired woman's skin got goosebumps all over it and how she began to pant into the kiss. She also felt that Alex wasn't wearing a bra. This turned her on even more than humanly possible.

Piper hadn't really had someone for five years either. It wasn't like she had tried to practice celibacy, it was just the way it had become since none of her dates had seemed interesting enough to be taken to bed. And the fact that she still loved Alex and wasn't sure somebody else could fill that hole, was a major part of her unintentional celibacy.

So just Alex hands, which were not even touching her more womanly parts, and her kiss, which softened when Piper's hand shifted focus, from Alex back to her breast, could send her off the edge. Alex moaned into the kiss when Piper started to give her breast some serious attention. Even so, they both seemed to slow down and do it all so much more sensually. It was like one had listened to a hard rock song and then suddenly switched to a soft ballad.

This time they didn't need to rush their actions.

Piper decided that if they were really going to have sex, they would do it in her bed and not on this tiny couch. She was done having sex with this woman in cramped up spaces, so she sat up and pulled Alex with her.

The walk to the bedroom was slow, because they kissed each other so passionately and deep it made Piper dizzy. They held onto each others faces like they thought they were going to lose one another if they didn't. Alex pressed her up against the wall, with one thigh pressed hard against her crotch. Piper moaned at the contact and started to move against it to get some friction while Alex started to remove her shirt.

Piper thought that the other woman hadn't removed any of her clothes this slow, ever. Alex's hands fondled her curves while she pushed the shirt up with them, setting Piper's skin on fire with the light touch. They didn't stop kissing, only when the shirt was about to go over her head, but as soon as her shirt was gone they resumed the kiss and continued their trip.

When they were finally in the bedroom Piper started unbuttoning Alex jeans and let her do the rest of the job as she got rid of her sweater. As soon as the garment was off, Piper's hands were on Alex's full breasts. She continued to kiss Alex as her hand worked on her soft tits, loving how they felt in her hands. It was more than she had ever dreamt of and wanted to taste them.

The raven-haired's breath grew faster when Piper started to kiss a trail down her neck to her breasts, and took a nipple in her mouth and sucked on it slowly.

Alex let her head fall back and let a hand grasp the blond ones hair pushing her firmly against her breast. Piper enjoyed the feeling and taste of Alex's breast again and felt how she wanted all of this and she wanted it now. She stood up and started kissing Alex hard and more urgent. She dragged off her own jeans and pushed them onto her bed, now that almost all unwanted fabric was gone, straddling one of Alex's thighs. Alex hurried to unclasp Pipers bra to be able to feel her naked breasts once more. When it came off Alex flipped the two of them so that she was on top. They both gasped when their naked skin touched, but Alex quickly recovered from it and took one of Piper's nipples in her mouth and kneaded the other with her hand. Piper felt like she was going insane if she didn't get some friction where she needed it the most. She moaned loudly when Alex caressed her breast but she wanted so, so much more and the want drove her crazy.

"Please. I need you, Al." She panted and looked at the other woman with lust filled eyes.

Alex obeyed and kissed her way down south. Piper breathed heavily and tangled a hand in the black hair. When Alex reached her mound she didn't take the blonds panties off at first, instead, she placed kisses on the now soaked fabric. Piper squirmed under the teasing and didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"Al..." She felt like she was going to come just by the teasing and after five years one isn't so patience on holding back a fantastic orgasm. Piper could feel the other woman smirk against her panties before she dragged them off. Alex nibbled on the soft skin of Piper's inner thighs and left lazy kisses on her way to Pipers wet center all the while Piper was going insane with the treatment she got. Her moans were throaty and she let her hand shove Alex face to where it was needed the most.

Alex dove right into her task and she licked her all the way from her slit to her clit before she took it in her mouth. At this Piper arched her back and clutched the sheets so hard it would have to be ironed to get rid of the marks.

She almost screamed from the amazing job Alex were doing, as always. The raven-haired woman smirked and inserted two fingers in the blond while she continued to suck on her clit.

Piper moaned deeply as the waves of pleasure seemed to drown her as they kept hitting her. Alex sure had a good memory. She licked her at all the right places and her fingers kept a steady pace. She was so hot with desire that she desperately moved her hips hard against the raven-haired's rhythm to feel even more great things. It felt like she melted into Alex touch and how the wave already closed in on her, but she tried with all of her willpower to feel this incredible feeling for just a second longer.

"F... Ooh fuck!" But she couldn't, she came hard and her whole body shivered when the wave coursed through her.

She couldn't remember the last time she came this good and felt like she could live on this orgasm for at least a month.

Alex continued to thrust her fingers in Piper, only slower and a bit softer so she could ride out the wave of the orgasm. She stopped when the blonde came down from the high and left soft kisses on her inner thigh, but she didn't stop very for long, Alex had other plans.

She was determined to make Piper come again. She wasn't really pleased that Piper had come this quick so when Piper had calmed down a bit more she started all over again, increasing the speed of her fingers. This took Piper by surprise.

"Al... N... Ooh." Piper moaned loudly and pushed her hips down hard in the bed. Alex never settled with just giving away one orgasm. She was as generous as Oprah giving away iPads, not that she gave multiple orgasm to just anyone, but the ones who got them, got a lot.

She rolled her eyes back in ecstasy as she felt how a second wave closed in on her.

When it hit her she felt how she melted and couldn't believe she came another time, but then another wave came as well. Tears flowed from her eyes. She was in heaven, in Alex-heaven.

After the fifth wave her whole body shook so much even Alex realized that it was enough, for now. When she got up she laid down beside the blonde and let one hand track lazy circles on her stomach watching the beautiful blonde recover from her orgasms.

Piper couldn't open her eyes just yet, but she smiled weakly and rolled over to her side. She opened her eyes sleepy and looked at the almost naked beauty in front of her. She had dreamed so often of this it made her heart flutter that she now had the real deal in front of her.

"Wow..." Her voice broke since her strength hadn't returned to it fullest yet and due to all the fantastic moans Alex was responsible for. Alex just smirked and stared into Piper's crystal blue eyes, but before she could really take in the beauty of the moment Piper where on top of her. Alex laughed lazily and reached up to the blondes lips. Piper was still to weak to do anything other than kiss, but she let all of her hunger spill into the kiss and let her hands feel this once familiar body while she plotted grand plans on what she would do to the gorgeous woman underneath her.

After kissing a while she felt stronger and kissed her way to Alex ear. She nibble on her earlobe and whispered in a husky voice.

"Time to return the favor..." As she said that, one of her hands began a tortuously slow and soft trip down her stomach. Alex breath caught in her throat and a small involuntary moan escaped her when the blonde ones word reached her, she tried to play it cool, but failed miserably at it.

When her hand reached Alex womanhood she cupped it gently and kissed her. The raven-haired woman's moans infiltrated the kiss as Piper's hand teased her through her panties, which were soaked, and Piper felt how this was making her even more turned on than before. Alex embraced Piper tight, silently asking the blonde with the gesture to stop teasing her.

When she felt she had teased Alex enough, even though she had wanted to hear her plead for it, she slowly removed Alex underwear. Before Piper felt her out, she broke free from the kiss and looked into the raven-haired woman's eyes. They were clouded with lust and need, which made Piper shiver and give in to Alex. First, she let one finger run along Alex wet folds, and felt how incredibly wet she was, it made Piper moan and she couldn't stop herself.

"Fuck, Al... You're... so wet..." She breathed out those words, more than pronouncing them due to her own excitement. The raven-haired woman answered her with a deep and passionate kiss letting their tongues dance together.

She started to make slow circles around Alex clit and felt how she melted underneath her, moaning deep into their kiss. Piper wanted this to take time and make sure that Alex felt safe and loved, so she didn't speed up her actions. Instead, she made them slow and more sensual.

Very gently she let two fingers enter Alex, who gasped at the contact and broke the kiss. Piper moved her fingers firmly and lovingly slow. She kept her eyes locked on Alex's, she wanted to see the whole show. Alex's face was flushed and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open, Piper on the other hand had a hard time not kissing Alex for the show she was putting on, not on purpose though. It was so hot, to feel her again, to see her face all sex-flushed and, her moans. They weren't loud, they were subtle and soft and drove Piper crazy and she could feel how her own wetness almost dripped down her thigh. She kept thrusting her fingers slowly into Alex who arched her back and started to move with the blonde's rhythm. She clung to the blond and pressed her closer, digging nails in the blonde's back, dragging them down to her ass and grabbed it, leaving red lines of fire on the blonds back. Piper moaned low in other woman's ear when she felt the lines burning. She could feel the passion burn through the lines, but not only them, but through them, both of them. They were making love, not having sex.

When she realised this she felt how a warm feeling settled in her core and it felt like she was melting in to Alex. She had never felt this near to the other woman, it was like they were moulding their bodies into one piece. It was such an overwhelming feeling to Piper, she almost forgot what she was doing, making love to Alex, but she didn't miss the rhythm too much and continued with her action.

Alex's moans got deeper and more urgent, but Piper didn't hurry her motions. She kept her pace and couldn't stand it longer, she had to kiss Alex. She brought her mouth to Alex's and softly moved her lips with the other woman while she kept thrusting slowly into the other woman.

Alex broke free from the kiss again as her moans got really throaty and loud. It was obvious that she couldn't contained them any more and as she was almost tipping over the edge. Piper could feel how her walls was tightening around her fingers.

Alex wasn't one to talk much in bed, only when she was teasing, and that applied to her moans as well. Piper had never heard her moan this loud and it turned her on even more. It felt like her whole body throbbed and was about to go up in flames.

When Alex came, a sweet moan escaped her lips, it was as if her voice had cracked and it went almost in to the high pitch range, it was sweet music to Piper's ears as she let the other woman ride out her tremendous orgasm. The blonde knew it was a really good one as a couple of tears ran down Alex's cheeks and how hard she clung to her.

Piper couldn't wipe out the smug smile that now danced on her lips, she couldn't remember when she ever made the other woman come this hard, and God, it was it a glorious show to watch. The raven-haired's body arched back and all her muscles twitched, those sweet sound escaping her lips and how she had held Piper through it all. It was the best show she could ever watch, and she'd want to watch it a million times again.

When Alex was almost over all the fantastic feelings rushing through her body she caught the blonde's lips and kissed her slowly. It made Piper wonder it she had felt the same as she had. That this was so different from all other times they had had sex. She made a promise to herself that she would ask later if that was the case, but for now, she had other plans.

She indeed intended to return the favor and broke free from the kiss and headed down south. Alex was still a bit out of breath from her previous orgasm and the kisses Piper placed on her stomach on her way down, didn't help on stilling her intake of air.

When she came down to her goal she spread the raven-haired's legs more.

Before she dug in to her task, she kissed Alex soft inner thighs, driving the other woman crazy and before Piper knew it, a hand was in her hair forcing her to where she was needed the most.

She kissed Alex clit and felt how the other woman pushed her body in to her to get more contact. Alex was indeed impatient tonight, Piper thought and snickered a bit before she gave in to her own craving of tasting the other woman. She started by licking a trail to part Alex outer lips and teased her entrance with two fingers, then she took the clit in her mouth.

This time she couldn't control herself, Alex had her hand in her hair and her moans just egged her on and it was amazing. Her rhythm was faster this time around and she sucked hard on Alex sensitive bundle of nerves. The other woman kept rocking her hips and Piper could feel how her muscles twitched and her moans grew louder with every thrust of her hips. Alex hand pushed Piper hard against herself making it less hard for Piper to give her the friction she needed. The other woman begged with her whole body to be filled with more, but Piper would stand her ground, Alex would have to beg for it, even though she thoroughly enjoyed taking Alex hard and fast, like she was now, she wanted to set the scores even. So she paused for a bit, waiting for a reaction from the other as she played with her fingers around her entrance. Alex grunted out loud when Pipers mouth broke contact with her sex. But her body shivered with anticipation from the way Piper fingers swirled around her opening but after a while she realized that Piper was just teasing her.

"I swear to fucking God Pipes, if you don't just get on with it I'm gonna..." But Piper cut her off by inserting her index finger a bit deeper into Alex, but not deep enough to not be teasing any more.

"That's not the way to talk, honey. Just say what you want, and all your wishes will be granted." Piper's voice was silk-smooth and deep. As she talked she kept her head between the raven-haired's legs so her breath would hit her hot center. Alex inhaled sharply when Piper's breath hit her center, and she growled out loud in frustration when she didn't get her way.

"Just fuck me already." Alex tried to shove Piper's face between her legs again but Piper didn't yield. Alex gave up.

"Please, Piper. Fuck me, I need you." Alex got up on her elbows as she said this and stared into the blondes eyes. Piper didn't break their eye contact as she took her clit in her mouth again and inserted two fingers into the raven-haired. When she did this, Alex threw her head back and moaned out loud, which sent shivers down Pipers body. She set on the rhythm she had earlier and it didn't take long until Alex came again. She smiled and kissed her way up to the raven-haired's mouth. She straddled her and kissed her deep and with urgency, even though she had already had five orgasms that night she just couldn't get enough of Alex. She pushed her thigh against Alex's sex and felt how she started to grind against it, which Piper found incredibly sexy.

Alex hand started to wander down to her sex and insert two of her long and skilled fingers. Piper didn't have to do much, her hips moved on their own accord and Alex made sure she had a nice time with her thigh. They kissed passionately and moaned into each others mouths. Piper had always found this more sexy than any other thing they ever did. This way, it felt much more close and they could both watch each other get lost in ecstasy.

Alex came first, she broke the kiss and held onto Piper hard. The blonde wasn't far behind. As Piper came, Alex whispered in her ear that she loved her and kissed her.

When the both had caught their breath, Alex sat up and dragged Piper to the bathroom and step in to the shower. She started the water and pushed Piper's body close to hers. A sly smile danced on Alex's lips as she snuggled into the blonde's neck and just stood there with Piper in her arms and the water running down her body. Piper smiled and returned the embrace.

They washed each other in silence, letting only their eyes do the talking.

After they were dry they headed off to bed. Piper slipped under the cover first and motioned for Alex to get down. When she did she whispered in her ear.

"Be my little spoon?" Piper was rarely the big spoon, and was content with being the little spoon, but tonight she wanted to hold Alex. She thought that maybe the raven-haired needed to be held sometimes as well. Alex smiled and kissed her before she turned around and let herself be held. Piper brought her close and kissed her in the neck.

"I love you too." Piper felt Alex snuggled closer and brought the blondes hand to hers and placed it on her breast. She sighed and closed her eyes and she felt truly happy for once in all these years.

She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Hey again! I'm sorry there hasn't been an update yet, but uni has been kicking my ass as well as my beat-readers' ass. Therefore, I haven't been able to upload something, since I don't want to post a chapter that hasn't been beat-read. I don't trust my writing enough yet to do that. I want to give you guys the best, so I hope you're hanging in there.

Thanks again for reading.

_**Do we still fit?**_

Piper slowly opened her eyes and saw how the sun flowed in through her bedroom window. She looked at the clock and saw that it was nine o'clock. Panic spread trough her body, but then she remembered that it was Sunday and that she didn't have to go to work today. With a lazy move she turned around and faced a sleeping raven-haired beauty. A wide smiled spread across her face as she just looked on the relaxed and sleeping face. She urged to touch her again but fought herself down and just refrained on looking on the sleeping beauty in font of her.

She took it all in, how her chest rose and fell in a clam rhythm, her body under the cover, that her eyes moved under her eyelids and Piper hoped she was dreaming a pleasant dream.

Suddenly Alex breathing became more rapid, her face changed from looking relaxed to haunted and she started to toss in her sleep. She tossed quite violently and Piper realized that she must be having a nightmare.

She grabbed Alex's arms and brought her to her side and hushed her.

"I'm here baby. It's just a dream, you're here in bed with me. You're safe." Piper tried to wake Alex by stroking her hair gently. She really didn't want to shake her awake.

"I'm here Alex, I'm not leaving you. Wake up, it's just a dream." With those words Alex's body twitched and she snapped her eyes opened and took a really deep breath. She looked really lost and was obviously very disorientated by the way she looked around in the room. Piper looked with worried eyes on Alex, who was now starting to get a grip on where she was and saw that she started to relax a bit, but she still looked really scared.

"Fuck..." Alex voice was sleep drenched so it was more raspy than usually, which Piper thought was not-from-this-planet-sexy, but Alex needed comfort now, and not comfort from sex. So Piper brought her even closer and kissed her on the forehead.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Piper placed another kiss on the other woman's forehead and waited for her reply. To her surprise, Alex just snuggled into her even more and kissed her on her neck. They laid like this for a while, naked, silent and placing random kisses on the other. Piper didn't want to push Alex since she wasn't known to share her emotions, so she patiently waited for her. They really had to talk about feelings anyway, considering the previous night and the kiss before that, but Piper didn't know what to say. All she could think of saying seemed, either improper or just small talk and Alex didn't fly with that shit, but they had to talk about it.

"We have to talk, Al. You don't have to share your dream, but... About last night." Piper loosened her embrace a bit and backed up so she could look Alex in the eye.

"I mean, did you feel that it was different?" Piper searched Alex eyes for some answers but Alex just stared right back at her. Piper was going to say something else but the other woman beat her to it.

"You know Pipes? One thing that will never change is that I will always love you. You are that important to me and will always be." Alex bit her lip and looked away but continued.

"But prison broke us down. We are broken shards of what we used to be, kid. Do we still fit? Do are broken pieces fit? Did they ever fit...?" The raven-haired trail off and looked down on her hands.

"Maybe, our pieces fit better now. I mean, I felt it. We were as one last night." Piper said and took Alex's hands in hers. She were still struck by how much feelings and emotion Alex shared with her, and struck by her own emotions. She knew she felt really strong about the other woman, but last night made her feel something she had never felt before.

"And I mean, it's not all about the sex. We can talk and act like human beings around each other now. We are more honest now and you don't have to stress about anything and you don't..." Piper was interrupted by Alex, who sat up.

"I'm broke Piper... I can't afford a place of my own. I don't have a job, I can't even get my old job back, even if I wanted to..." Alex voice broke and tears where escaping from her eyes but she furiously tried to wipe them away but new tears kept emerging, so she abandoned her mission on erasing them. Piper sat up as well.

"Hey, it's okay. You'll get a job and you're always welcome here." Piper grabbed her hands again and shuffled closer to the other woman. She braced herself and prepared for a rejection.

"Alex, I want you to live with me here. I want to be with you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, you're the only one I could ever imagine forever with... If you don't want that, it's okay. You can still live here until you got something of your own." Now she had laid all of her cards on the table and waited for Alex reply. Alex hung her head down.

"I don't want my old job back Pipes..." She paused and Piper thought that it was really odd how incoherent she was, like they were having two different conversations. It wasn't like Alex. Maybe she just tried to explain herself, and explain to herself what she was feeling. Because she didn't really make much sense, like she hadn't been listening to Piper at all. It almost felt like she avoided answering Piper and when she hung her head down Piper took that as a no, Alex didn't want to be with her. Piper felt how her throat tightened and she released her hands from Alex's and started to move away. But what about that part were she said she didn't want her job back? What did she mean? Piper stopped moving away from her and just looked at her, feeling really confused.

"What do you mean?" Piper stared at the raven-haired woman with tears burning in her eyes.

"I want to be with you too." As she said that she raised her head and closed the distance between them and kissed Piper softly.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm done with that life and that this is all I have left, and that is you." She took Piper hands again and looked down at them and smiled a little.

"And I'm really glad you ditched that ass, I knew you would." She laughed softly before she turned serious again.

"I saw it in your eyes, you didn't mean what you said that day. But a part of me wasn't really sure... I'm just sorry I scared you with all that bullshit talk about doing x on a beach in Cambodia. To be honest, I didn't think it would scare you. But I wanna spend life with you too. Because believe it or not, you have caught Alex Vause's heart in a glass jar. You always had it. Just be a bit more careful with it this time." Piper was so moved and relieved by Alex speech she could feel how warm tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Oh, Alex." Piper smiled and kissed her.

"But don't blame this on yourself, I was an ass. And I regretted the decision I made as soon as I realized what I had said. I'm so sorry Alex." Piper hugged her tight.

"I know, kid. Apology accepted." Alex smiled and so did Piper. The blonde laughed softly.

"And now you don't have to support us both. We'll take care of that together, unless you want to be the housewife this time around." At this they both laughed.

"Oh yeah. You'd want to see that happened, wouldn't you." Alex bit her lip and her eyes started to grow darker.

"You have some wicked fantasies, young lady. Dirty fantasies. You'd like to see me in an apron cooking you dinner, wouldn't you? I didn't think you where that perverted." As Alex said all of these things she pushed Piper down on the bed and placed herself on top of the other woman, hovering over her. Piper bit down on her lip and smirked wickedly at the thought, this was yet another game of Alex. This one she knew all the rules to and was a champion in.

It was always fun to watch that change happen and how quickly things could turn from serious to sex. All though, it wasn't always a good thing, but Piper had faith in them this time. She hoped that they wouldn't use sex as a thing to push serious matter out of the picture. Because they really rocked the world with their bed related playtime. But this time around they really needed to communicate if it was going to work out.

"Oh, I have wicked fantasies?" Piper licked her lips and felt how her whole body reacted to the image of Alex in nothing else than a really, really short apron, her hair done up pinup-style, bending over.

"But do tell me, what would you wear under that apron?" Piper said. They were still naked from last night so one of Piper's hands sneaked up to touch one of Alex's exposed breasts, but before she could get a handful of it, Alex grabbed her hand and pinned it to the bed. She did the same with the other one as well and brought her head to the blonde's ear and whispered in a sexy voice.

"You tell me what I would wear under that apron. I want to know all of your dirty little secrets." As she said this she brought her thigh up to Piper's sex and added more pressure as she spoke. Piper gasped at the contact and felt how she was getting wetter and how the need of a release was building in her. She started to slowly move her hips against the raven-haired's thigh. Alex kissed her neck softly and grabbed her wrist's with one hand so she could do magic with the other. She moved her head so that she could stare into Piper's blue eyes and started to move her hand down and grabbed the blondes breast, massaging it softly. Piper moaned at the contact and started to move a bit faster against Alex's leg. She kept staring into the raven-haired's eyes and bit her lip. Alex didn't back down from their staring contest but challenged Piper to keep it up when her hand started to travel down her stomach painfully slow. The blondes eyes fluttered and tried to reach up for the raven-haried woman's lips. Alex just smirked and pulled away a bit and kept their eyes locked as her hand reached it's goal. She started to make slow circles around Piper's clit. When she felt how wet the blondes was she moaned out low and deep. She did this mainly because she wanted to tease Piper but also because it was such a turn on to feel the effect she had on the other. The blonde squirmed and pushed herself down in the mattress...

After their love-making session they just spooned. Letting the silence do the talking.

She thought of what Alex had said earlier: That they were broken pieces. She thought of it to be odd. Maybe they had been, but it didn't feel like that anymore. It felt like she was 23 and as if she had fallen in love with this woman all over again. It felt like it was supposed to feel and this time around, everything was legit. No more crimes and things to hide from the other. She couldn't feel more invincible. A huge smile settled on her face as she turned around and faced the other woman. She cupped Alex's face and gently stroked her jawline with her thumb. They locked eyes with each other and Piper saw how a smile grew on the raven-haried's face, it reached her eyes as well. The blonde felt how a warm feeling spread through her and thought of it as pure love. She leaned in for a kiss before she gently spoke.

"Al, we're not broken anymore. We're mending each other. We're becoming one piece. One piece of two broken shards. Our broken pieces fitted better and now, they're as one." Piper smiled and kissed Alex deeply. It felt like nothing in this world could take her down from this high.

Alex was back in Piper's heart and filled the hole that had existed there. She filled it to its breaking point and then some more.

"You have my heart as well." Piper said and closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Alex's body.

**AN: **Thanks for reading! Hope you really enjoyed it.

Thank you all for reviewing! Love always.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: **Hey guys. I'm really sorry it took so long, but I have been really busy at school. But here it is. I may be a bit busy for a while, but I have like the following chapter almost done so. It shouldn't take too long, I won't promise anything thought.

Thanks for reading! Love always.

_**Hope is a dangerous thing**_

As they laid in bed, embracing one another, silence wrapped itself around them, cradling them in a cocoon of comfort. A kind of silence that needed not actions to make the air breathable.

Piper's body had ignited again when her request had been met; Alex would stay and be with her.

It felt like she was finally breathing and like the air was touching her skin again.

Now, when they laid in the still of the moment, joy ran through every fiber of her body. Even if it was as simple as lying down in a bed, while the sun lit and warmed the room, holding her love in her arms, stroking the skin of the other with tender hands. As simple as getting her skin tenderly touched, meeting eyes that didn't waver, light smiles playing in both of their eyes as the sun rose higher. Just this simple existing was enough, for once in Pipers life.

Even if it was enough, thoughts swirled in her head, it could never seem to stand still. They came and went, but didn't settled long enough for Piper to care.

Then, her thoughts seem to agree on one thing; This wouldn't be a smooth ride. Things were yet do to be discussed and words to be yelled at each other. There would be fighting. She swatted those thoughts away, not wanting them to cloud her mind at a time like this, when she had finally gotten what she wanted.

Even so, a little voice whispered in her head that, when there is light, a little darkness must come. She killed the consciousness with her own words, saying that she would be equipped this time, guided by a light at the end of the tunnel. The sword ready in her hand. Her weapon of choice would be the truth. She was ready and wouldn't run at the first sight of danger.

Alex was the first to break through the comfort that the silence had encradled them in. It wasn't really with words rather than her stomach telling them that it was time to move to the part of the house that held food.

Clothes came on and they moved to the kitchen in search of something edible. They found some eggs and bacon, like a good breakfast should include. Alex was pleased and offered to make it into a dish.

While the apartment started to ooze of bacon, Piper called her boss.

After seeing Alex toss in her sleep, she realized she needed to be there for her while she was adjusting to her freedom.

Piper had never seen something like it. She could only imagine how vivid the dreams must be to have created that reaction. Alex never used talked in her sleep, not that she was aware of. When she was dreaming now, her voice was quite clear and it was like Alex was elsewhere but her body was left in bed with strings attached to it, moving it, but also restraining her from taking full action towards her shadowy enemies.

It wasn't just about her dreams though, to step into the world after not seeing it for a couple of years was like trying to swim before you've learned how. The world was cold at times and didn't stop to take a single individual in consideration. It kept moving, how much one begged for it to stop, like when one is too drunk and everything is spinning out of control and all one can do is hope someone is there to hold ones hand through it all. Piper would stretch out her hand this time, like she hadn't all those years ago, even if she fought hard with her heart to stretch out her hand to Alex then. She just couldn't at the time, it felt to dangerous and her head had slowly won over her heart in that debate and was set before the horrible news came. She just couldn't stay, even if she almost had.

Piper wasn't sure how much time Alex had spent away from the world locked up in prison, behind beige walls and slow routines. Living in a fishbowl with the tiniest insight in what happened in the world beyond those dirty walls. It had to be at least five years, and a lot happens in that amount of time. There were many new thing to maneuver around and having a hand to guide one through the jungle of things that were new would be nice, Piper thought.

The thought of being away from Alex made Piper's stomach twist and turn into knots, almost leaving her in a cold sweat. That was yet another reason to take a week off. She wasn't ready to be apart from Alex now that she finally had her back. Deep inside she found herself worrying that she would come home one day and found out that Alex was leaving her. She hated herself for having the thought, she couldn't doubt this. If she did, it would fall, she was sure of it.

After the matter was settled with her boss, Piper hung up. She kept the conversation low. Alex hated when people pitied her, it'd probably not changed. It was a strong characteristic feature the raven haired had. She always wanted to feel in control, like she could take down the whole world with one blow.

A strong characteristic Piper had was that she tried to avoid conflicts for as long as possible. She silently cursed herself for yet again walking around on eggshells, like she was avoiding bombs in a war. She couldn't worry about conflicts anymore, she had to stand proud and with a straight posture in an incoming war, letting the bombs fall around her. There would be disagreements, and had to be. Besides, Alex said she liked the honest Piper, and she felt like she owned Alex everything she liked.

Piper entered the kitchen and Alex looked up from her cooking. She was currently frying both bacon and a bright yellow omelet.

"What was that about?" Alex looked curious and her entire focus was on Piper.

"I called my boss and asked for the whole week off." Piper said simply and watch how the raven haired's facial expression changed. It went from curious to a stern and cold look. If one looked closely, one could see how her iris's almost turned to ice. Piper steeled herself.

"Why? I'm fine by my own, you know. And you need the money, right?" Alex said before she turned her attention to the food on the stove.

Piper sighed, and walked up to Alex and put her arms around the others waist. She wouldn't let Alex win this. She could really care less if Alex became pissed at her, she was doing this for her.

"I want to help you. I saw how you tossed in your sleep and I know how hard it is to adjust to the freedom you are so suddenly given. I want to be there for you like I wasn't all those years ago." Piper felt how the raven-haired stiffened a bit under her touch.

"I don't need help. Like I said. I'm fine and if you need the money, then go and work." Alex said as she poked on the bacon that was slowly being cocked to perfection. Piper didn't need to see the others facial expression. She could hear the stern tone in the voice and found a look in her head that matched it.

"I know you can do fine on your own, but Al..." Piper was interrupted by Alex, who turned around and stared at her with a calm but quite pissed of look. She freed herself from the blondes embrace.

"Piper, I don't need a babysitter." Alex said plainly.

"Look. You don't have to like it, but I want to do this for you. Not because I feel sorry for you or that I think that you aren't capable of coping on you own" Piper enclosed the space between them, trying vary hard not to let her temper take over.

"Let me do this for you." Piper said and stared into the other set of eyes, which softened a bit but she didn't get a reply from Alex.

"And don't worry about the income. I have saved up some money, and I still have PoPi. I work on that with Polly when I have time. She makes the products and I set deals. We still haven't made it in to Barneys but where getting there. I'm working on a deal right now, so no need to worry." Piper said and stroked Alex's arms gently, hoping that the other would just accept her offer.

"Please, Alex. Let me do this. If not only for the company, and I'm not going to follow you around like a hawk. But please, let me." Piper tried hard not to let the sad puppy-eyes look show, that wouldn't help matters much. Alex sighed and fiddled with her glasses but didn't look Piper in the eyes when she finally answered.

"Okay, but you don't have to." Alex then returned to the cooking. Piper sighed and turned Alex around and brushed a way a strand hair out of the raven haireds face. It didn't feel good the way they had ended the conversation. She heard that Alex still had some what of a sour tone in her reply. Piper leaned in and kissed her softly, and Alex returned it just as softly but just stood there. Piper began to stroke the naked skin under the raven haired's shirt hoping that the small gesture would calm and tell the raven haired that it all was okay. Piper felt like there was no other way of telling this. Seldom was words the way to got with Alex. She fought to well with them.

Since the first look they had ever shared, matters were settled in utter most quiet or in the bedroom, letting their action speak louder than their words. One could almost say it was some sort of telepathic communication.

Silence is a flawed thing, words can cause flaws but, to not communicate in words leads to interpretations that do not always match the actions or intentions of spoken words, and here she was doing it all over again. It just felt to good to not do it in the current situation. They were to familiar with that way of handling things to not fall back there again.

As always, Alex took the lead and finally wrapped her arms around the blonde. She kissed her way down Piper's neck and whispered against Piper's skin.

"It feels so good to have you again." Piper clutched her arms tighter around the raven haired's body and shivered from the kisses and her words. It may have been a slip, but it warmed Piper to her core, considering that they just had a small fight of some kind, she wasn't sure what to call it, but at that moment, it didn't matter.

The feelings crept down her spine and tickled her nerves. The kisses were lighter than a feather caressing her skin, which caused her nerves to restrain against her skin to feel the contact of the others lips closer to them.

"I can only say the same." Piper stumbled upon her words as her minds entered another state. A state in which cohesive thoughts were repressed and couldn't get their message to reach the receiver. Piper could care less about the food on the stove as she felt a set of hands travel down her body and groping her ass. Alex playfully bit down on the skin of her neck as her hands squeezed Piper's ass firmly. It seemed like both of them had forgot the primitive need of food as another need took over.

A whiff of air escaped Piper's lips as Alex continued to caress her skin with both her teeth and lips. Piper found that those lips weren't where they were supposed to be; on her set of lips. She grabbed the black hair of the other and pulled on it until the other set of lips were on hers. It was a rough kiss, displaying the core of their need.

Piper was about to lift the others shirt when her stomach protested, deciding that it was no longer going to wait to be fed. When the sound reached Alex's ears she couldn't help but laughed at it. A primitive instinct that got in the way of another. Alex turned around and saw to getting their food edible. Piper sighed at the lost of contact but couldn't help to smile. Her actions had most definitely cheered up the raven haired.

During the meal, Piper briefly told Alex that writing and visiting Nicky had helped her when she first got out. Even though it felt like she was falling out of an airplane without a parachute every time she set her foot in there. So whenever she entered the prison, she kept chanting in her mind that she was just visiting and that nobody could put her in handcuffs in there. She was free and it was good to see a face that wasn't judging her.

Alex sat in silence while Piper talked, seemingly uncomfortable listening to what was said judging by the wrinkle on her forehead. Piper tried not to think about it too much. She thought that it would be good for Alex to be reassured about her new life without using cliché statements like "It's going to be fine". Those words would most likely provoke another fight and make Alex shut Piper out.

When all the food was consumed, they still sat at the table. Alex looked down on the plate, seeming to consider something.

"Why haven't you dated someone?" Alex looked straight into Pipers eyes. They looked like a beautiful sunny spring day that hasn't got the warmth that summer has, like something was missing. Piper was a bit surprised at the question. Piper vaguely remembered that morning when she told Alex she hadn't had anyone new during the five years they spent apart. Still, it surprised her that the raven haired brought it up, why was it important really.

"Nothing could compare to what we had, or you. I was still in love with you. I tried to deny it, but at some point I could no longer run from it. Besides, they all seemed so dull and uninteresting." Piper smiled a bit and Alex snorted, a bit of warmth returned in her eyes.

"You're such a snob when it comes to dating. I can't really see how I passed through all of your criteria. You sassy WASP." A weak smirk appeared on Alex's face as she arched an eyebrow and waited for the blonde to reply. Piper just smiled at this, considering what she would reply with.

"You set all of my standards. Don't flatter yourself honey, but you're sexy and you know it. Why do you think I fell for you at first? You radiate confidence and it's such a fucking turn on. Besides, I like hot people. You're lesbian catnip, and you know and love it. I'm just amazed that _I_ caught your attention." It may not have been the most adequate thing to reply with, but right now she wanted to laugh, and for the raven haired to laugh with her. Ego-boosts and flatter would always work on Alex. It always brought out the playful side of Alex. Piper smirked a bit as Alex chuckled at her statement.

"Hm, yeah I guess I am." She chuckled a bit more before she calmed down and thought of Piper's other statement.

"Well, I can never resist a girl that looks as innocent as you do. Those Bambi-eyes of yours, you know? And If I'm being really honest, I thought you would just be another sweet girl to take to bed, but when I saw your eyes, they showed me something else; That Bambi was just for show. You could play dirty and wouldn't shy away and then, I experienced you in bed." At this they both laughed before the raven haired continued.

"You wanted to rebel. I saw girls like that all the time, but your combination was extraordinary. You're all the things I need in a woman." Alex lifted her empty juice glass to a cheer and snickered as Piper followed suit.

Silence once again settled between them. This allowed Piper's head to go into overload again. There were so many things she wished to ask Alex, but all of these questions seemed to be too soon to ask. As Piper wandered away in her thoughts a question slipped between her lips before she couldn't really analyze what she said.

"How did you manage the new prison?" Piper bit down on her tongue and cautiously waited for the raven haired to reply. Alex sighed and looked away, out into dead space, seeming to consider what would best answer the blondes question at the moment.

"I couldn't mange to get myself to interact that much with other people there. I had a bad heartache..." Piper looked down on her plate empty, feeling how the line of words hit her right in the stomach. Stillness settled between them before Alex voice once again resonated in the air.

"So, I mostly stayed to myself and practically lived in the library. I even got to work there. It was way better than the fucking laundry at Litchfield. I worked mostly alone and didn't do something I hated. It helped me." Alex said and Piper could only nod and hoped that Alex would share more of her time there.

"Nicky wrote to me as well." This took Piper by surprise and she looked up from her plate and onto Alex, which eyes still stared out into the air. Nicky hadn't ever said a thing about sending Alex letters. She only told Piper that Alex had sent that one letter last time she visited the brunette. Piper furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"She would write about your visits. She said that you talked about me a lot at first, but then you stopped. She told me how you looked while you talked about me." Alex brought a hand up to her face and fiddled a bit with her glasses.

"But Nicky said you hadn't sent her anything besides that last letter." Piper said, still slightly confused.

"I sent two letters to her. The first saying that I needed to be alone for a while, but that I would like for her to keep sending me letters if she felt up for it. And she did. She saw that you still loved me, and thought it might me good for me to hear that, either because I would enjoy that you suffered or she really knew that I could never stop loving you." Alex's eye's hadn't moved one bit.

"But when you stopped talking about me she took it as you had met someone or got back with Larry." Alex paused for a bit and brought her eyes down to the table, looking like she relived every event she told.

"After I read that letter, I cried at night for weeks. But somehow I never lost my hope, and I knew you would pick me up when I got out of prison, even if you were married to him. And I'd take it from there." The raven haired eyes finally met Piper's. They looked a bit blank but not so sad as her memories sounded to be.

Piper felt like every bone in her body broke when she heard that Alex had cried from reading a letter. How simple words had caused her pain and left her thinking that Piper was happily married and didn't love her, when in reality, Piper loved her more than anything sane on this planet.

How much more pain would she make her loved one feel? She felt how the self hatred burned in her, making her body seem hollow and heavy. She had caused so much pain and even if Alex said she had forgiven her, she wasn't sure she could ever forgive herself. It felt like a too big of a task.

Piper tried to push all of these thoughts away, but they kept crushing through her defense. Pushing words out of her mouth, that couldn't make any of this better, but still they came. Flooding out of her, as she always wanted to explain herself, it made her feel better.

"I'm so fucking sorry Alex. I was so broken then, at Litchfield, but I didn't realize it. And all I could worry about was what other people thought of me. I just had to be this perfect blonde girl other people thought I was and wanted me to be. It was so important to me, but it isn't anymore. All I want for myself is to be happy, and I am with you." Piper felt how tears started to streamed down her cheeks, tickling her skin as they softly fell. She still felt like she hadn't explained everything yet, but as she ransacked her mind, she couldn't find words that would be sufficient enough. So she just babbled on, like she did when words weren't enough.

"Why was I so lost? I don't know, and I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for doing that to you. How could you forgive me for doing it? A second time as well?" Piper stared at her as more tears caressed her cheeks, dragged down by gravity, the way Piper's reality seemed to be going, down. Even though she had what she had wanted for so long, right infront of her.

Alex took a deep breath and just stared at her with soft eyes.

"I know, and it was hard. But when you forgive someone, you do it even if it still hurts sometimes." Alex looked at her with soft eyes. Eyes that was warm again, but Piper couldn't feel the warmth the eyes held. The words hit her right in the stomach. _"Even if it still hurts sometimes." _She was still hurting, Piper thought but Alex interrupted her.

"You know, I kept replaying that scene in the library over and over again. I just didn't get it. You said you loved me. But what you said before that hit me harder and I wasn't paying attention to your eyes. Your eyes never lie, Pipes. And I realized that you meant those words only. I lived on those three words while I was locked up. That and the fantastic library they had. It soothed all of my wounds. But yeah, it hurt like hell that you felt like you had to push me away again." Alex walked over to her and brought her up to embrace her. Letting the silence cradled Piper into a calmer state of mind before she softly spoke.

"I get that it is hard to hear, but we have to be able to tell each other things like this." Alex wiped away some tears as she said that. Piper couldn't bare herself to look into the raven haired's eyes. She felt like she didn't deserve her and yet again, her head shifted in to overload with negative thoughts, but she felt calmer and pondered on what Alex whole dialog with her had contained. Before she could over analyze things, Alex interrupted her line of thoughts.

"It may sound cheesy and hard to believe but I had hope, hope in us. I always seem to take you away." Alex smiled a bit as she said this and brought Piper to look at her. Piper stared in awe at Alex. What she had gone through and yet she could manage to have hope? The worst possible thing one could have in prison, as her former bunkie had once said.

"You know, Miss Claudette once told me that hope is a dangerous feeling to have in prison. I can't believe how strong you've been and I'm really glad you had hope in us." Piper said and rested her head on Alex's chest, letting the warmth of the embrace chase away all self doubt and bad thoughts.

"I know, but I only did what we should have done from the beginning. Trust each other and have faith in us. Because, look how right I was." Alex smirked a bit and kissed the blonde. Piper smiled into the kiss before she broke it and made eye contact with the raven haired.

"You make me brave Alex. I just forgot it." Piper smiled a bit and kissed her again. It felt nice how just a kiss could smooth over all bad feelings. Maybe it was dangerous to swipe it all under the rug, but right now, she allowed herself to do just that.


End file.
